2018 Free Press Utility Vehicle of the Year: Volvo XC60 delivers style, advanced features

The five-seat 2018 Volvo XC60 adds Swedish design and loads of safety and driver assistance features to the fast-growing compact luxury SUV market. It competes with popular vehicles including the Audi Q5 and BMW X3.

The XC60 shares its architecture, drivetrain and electronics with Volvo’s larger XC90 SUV and S90, and V90 sedan and station wagon. That allows it to bring high-end features such as a 9.0-inch tablet-style touch screen that’s intuitive — but a bit less responsive than more recently developed infotainment systems some automakers offer.

The XC60 comes with Volvo’s City Safe package, which includes lane-keeping assist; drowsy-driver alert; traffic sign recognition; automatic braking with pedestrian, cyclist and large animal detection; and forward collision alert. Disappointingly for a company that prides itself on making safety features standard, blind-spot and cross-traffic alerts are options.

Other options include steering assist, which adds to the driver’s steering and braking inputs in sudden maneuvers to avoid frontal collisions. Another automatically steers the XC60 back into its lane if the SUV wanders across the center line into the path of an oncoming vehicle.

Volvo’s trusty 2.0L gasoline engine produces 250-hp with a turbo on the base T5 model and adds a supercharger for the 316-hp T6 model. The 313-hp T8 plugin-hybrid adds an electric rear axle and lithium-ion batteries. Disappointingly, the EPA found the XC60 plug-in hybrid has a shorter all-electric range (18 miles versus 19) and lower combined fuel economy (59 mpge vs 62) than the bigger XC90 that uses the same system and went on sale two years ago.

The XC60’s body is sleek and elegant. Distinguishing touches include Volvo’s “Thor’s Hammer” LED running lights, a very large power sunroof and lean lines. The interior is roomy and comfortable, with appealing touches like trim made from salvaged driftwood.

2018 Volvo XC60 at a glance

Base price: $41,500   (excluding destination)

Competitors: Acura RDX, Alfa Romeo Stelvio, Audi Q5, BMW X3, Cadillac XT5, Lexus RX, Mercedes GLE, VW Touareg

Reasons to buy: Design, safety features, available plug-in hybrid

Engines: 250- or 316-hp 2.0L four-cylinder with turbocharging or supercharging and turbocharging; plug-in hybrid with 313-hp 2.0L engine and 87-hp electric motor for rear axle

Transmissions: 8-speed automatic

Selected safety features: Blind spot and cross traffic alerts; adaptive cruise control; forward Pilot Assist semi-autonomous aid; steering assist; pedestrian and large animal detection

Length: 184.6 ins.

Wheelbase: 112.8 ins.

Height: 65.3 ins.

Width: 74.9 ins.

2018 Detroit Free Press Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year:

As auto industry changes, characteristics of a great vehicle largely unchanged

Car: 2018 Honda Accord

Truck: 2018 Lincoln Navigator

Second place: 2018 Chevrolet Equinox

Base price: $23,580 (excluding destination charges)

The pressure of competing in the best-selling market segments leads some automakers to play it safe and build boring, vanilla vehicles. That syndrome plagued midsize sedans for years, and it’s increasingly true of the new top segment, compact SUVs.

Chevrolet eluded the lure to blandness with the ’18 Equinox. The sleek SUV is lighter and smaller, but remains one of the roomiest vehicles in its class. Excellent infotainment, connectivity and drivetrains that include a nine-speed automatic transmission, a diesel rated at 39 mpg on the highway and a sporty 252-hp 2.0L unit give the Equinox something to offer for nearly every buyer.

While Chevy’s designers and engineers did their part, the brand’s regrettable decision not to offer adaptive cruise control and other increasingly common safety features in a vehicle whose price can top $40,000 may explain why the Equinox was not one of the three finalists for North American Utility Vehicle of the Year.

Third place: 2018 Honda Odyssey

Base price: $29,990 (excluding destination charges)

The Odyssey refines the minivan formula with flexible new seating and electronics that make it easier to keep tabs on a van full of kids.

CabinWatch features a ceiling-mounted camera with infrared capability that lets parents covertly observe the kids like a 7-Eleven clerk with a convex mirror, while CabinTalk allows the driver to override the audio of movies and games on headphones like an airline pilot announcing turbulence ahead.

Other new features include Magic Slide seats that can be configured to maximize passenger and cargo capacity or create a DMZ between rival siblings.

Honda equips all Odyssey models from the $33,860 EX up – trims that should account for 95% of sales – with safety features including autonomous automatic braking to reduce front collisions, lane-keeping assist and adaptive cruise control.

Contact Mark Phelan: mmphelan@freepress.com or 313-222-6731. Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan.